“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” — Yoda

The merry month of May? I'll think about that one. It has been a busy month and we are only a few days into it, with today ending up being Monday, May 7, 2018. I hadn't remembered how much last Friday, the 4th, had become a special day for so many. I saw just about every type of photo and meme out on social media referring to the fact that a Star Wars theme was at work, May the 4th be with you. (May the Force be with you.) At any rate, it's been turned into a reason to celebrate, wear Star Wars gear, and have parties and other functions to recognize the day. Once these things get started they take on a life of their own. One fellow commented that he preferred, May the 5th be with you to honor his favorite Star Wars movie, "Revenge of the Sith". See what I mean? Once you start equating the 4th to the Force and the 5th to the Sith, well, the sky, or perhaps space in this scenario is the limit. I looked through the list of the 12 films which also includes the one debuting later this month and I don't think there are any of the others that can be turned into a calendar meme. However, that most likely will not limit those intent on coming up with a way to capitalize on this ever popular thematic space series.

We did make the one-day turnaround to Louisiana last Friday. Thanks so much to our Jimmy for driving for us. That allowed me time to work on my Bible study lesson and to get all my stuff together to support the estate matters we were there to address. We left at 6:30 a.m. and was back a little after 7 p.m. We had a tremendous day. Yes. The wife and I, along with Victor and his wife Maria did get the business taken care of, but, at the same time, we enjoyed the day because we were able to be with our family. Family does matter. We also got to visit again our home place which is in transition as we are selling it to our niece, Stacy, the eldest daughter of our baby sister Kayla. She was gracious in hosting us for our visit. We also got to briefly visit with Angela, another niece, who has carried a lot of the load on helping to coordinate the activities required to support the handling of mom's and dad's estate. We so appreciate all the hard work she has done. (Regarding mom and dad and the family that cared about them and cared for them, let me say this. They both had a legion of those who cared enough to serve. Children, grandchildren, great grands, along with those married into our family, there are too many to count who stood up and were counted during the time that mom and dad were in need. I'll never forget any of them. Never!) I can always feel the nearly 400-mile round trip. My hips and knees, well, they get real noisy whenever they are made to sit in one place for extended periods of time. God was good to us. We made a safe trip. We had wonderful fellowship with those we love. And, to top it off, we got some rain during the overnight hours Friday night and Saturday morning. Blessed. And, we did tell each other that we should thank God for His provisions. We did just that! Amen.

While we were over in Louisiana, we were able to visit the Fort Polk National Cemetery. This is where the earthly remains of mom and dad were interred. That's my brother Victor and I at the actual grave markers for our parents. These markers remind me that we all are destined to a final resting place if the Lord doesn't come back and get us before we die. It also tells me that our faith is the determining factor in what happens to our soul when we take our last breath. We will either be absent from the body and immediately present with the Lord or, we will be separated from God eternally. We look back on the lives of these two servants and are very proud of all they contributed to our family, our country, and the community they lived in. However, we know that it is their embracing of the Savior that is the real difference for time and for eternity. There's also the judgment seat of Christ where believers will give an account of the life He gave to us when we came to faith in Him. What did we do with it? What didn't we do? Past, present, and future sins were judged on The Cross and they are under The Blood which cleanses us from all unrighteousness. However, each one will stand and give an account. Let me know if you need some actual Bible passages that speak on these matters. I will be more than happy to share them with you. Until next time, may God be real and close to us all. Amen. .....More later.